Method for providing a coach with live training data of an athlete as the athlete is performing a swimming workout

ABSTRACT

An athlete tracking system and method for tracking an athlete during training sessions, such as swim training. The system includes a mobile tracking device wearable around the athlete&#39;s chest, and a training log server for maintaining an athlete profile that includes a training record updatable by the athlete and a training plan supplied by a coach.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/162,613, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/054,879, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,345,948, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 61/715,847, the entire contents of eachbeing incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improvements in a system for storingtraining data entered by an athlete, associating information with theathlete that is related to the athlete's participation in trainingand/or racing activities, and generating a profile specific to theathlete for use by the athlete and/or a coach.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Athletes training for a competition usually enlist the assistance of acoach to help them prepare for an upcoming competition, or to enhancetheir personal fitness. Often, the athlete becomes attached to aparticular coach, but then has to move to a different city for anynumber of reasons. This can disrupt the athlete's training, leading to aloss of fitness, and a loss of personal time in trying to find areplacement coach in the new area in which the athlete finds themselves.The present invention in one or more preferred embodiments seeks toprovide an athlete with the ability to maintain their currentrelationship with a preferred coach regardless of their physicallocation.

SUMMARY

The present invention in one preferred aspect is directed to a web-basedplatform tailored to providing access to information regarding athleticor sporting events and personal training information. The system mayinclude an activity calendar, which is personalizable, a training log, amedia portal containing photos of a participant in an event, and arankings generator configured to rank a user against other users withingiven set of parameters.

As used herein, “configured” includes creating, changing, or modifying aprogram on a computer or network of computers so that the computer ornetwork of computers behave according to a set of instructions. Theprogramming to accomplish the various embodiments described herein willbe apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing thepresent specification, and for simplicity, is not detailed herein.

It will be appreciated that in one or more embodiments, the system mayinclude one or more work stations at a back end for use by a platformoperator, one or more local client computers for access by users, and acommunications network that facilitates communication between theplatform, the work stations at the back end, and the client computers.Preferably, the work stations and client computers will include adisplay and means for entering information, such as a keyboard and/orvoice activated data entry. Means for accessing the platform by usersmay include, but is not limited to personal computers and mobile devicessuch as tablets and smartphones, and other user devices capable ofcommunicating over a communications network such as the Internet.

In one preferred aspect, the present invention is directed to aweb-based platform for personalizing a training regimen of an athlete.The system preferably includes a training log server configured tomaintain a plurality athlete profiles, each athlete profile including atraining record having a plurality of fields that each correspond to anaspect of a workout in which the athlete participated, one of the fieldscorresponding to a distance aspect of the workout, another of the fieldscorresponding to a time aspect of the workout. The system preferablyfurther includes a processor programmed to receive workout data suppliedby the athlete and update the training record with the workout data, theworkout data including both a distance aspect and a time aspect. Theprocessor is configured to permit the athlete to grant access to thetraining record to a coach so that the coach may log onto the platformand view the training record. The processor is further configured toreceive a training plan from the coach and associate the training planwith the athlete profile so that the athlete may view the training plan.

The processor may be programmed to cumulatively track at least oneaspect of the athlete's workouts. The processor may be programmed togenerate a calendar incorporating at least a portion of the trainingplan. The calendar may be presented as a monthly calendar. The processormay be programmed to send a message to the athlete once the trainingplan has been uploaded to the platform and associated with the athleteprofile. The processor may be programmed to send a message to the coachonce the athlete updates their training record. The processor may beprogrammed to permit the athlete to selectively restrict access by thecoach to portions of the training record.

The platform further preferably includes a media portal configured toreceive media from at least one of the athlete and the coach andassociate the media with the athlete profile.

In another preferred aspect, the present invention is directed to amethod for personalizing a training regimen of an athlete using acomputer web-based platform, the platform including a processor and atraining log server configured to maintain a plurality of athleteprofiles. The method preferably includes creating an athlete profile onthe training log server, the athlete profile including a training recordhaving a plurality predefined fields, at least one of the fieldscorresponding to a distance aspect of an athlete's workout, at leastanother of the fields corresponding to a time aspect of the athlete'sworkout; receiving, at the platform, workout data from the athlete, theworkout data including a distance aspect and a time aspect; updating thetraining record of the athlete profile by associating each aspect of theworkout data with the corresponding field in a training record;permitting a coach to log onto the platform and view the athleteprofile; and uploading a training plan from the coach to the platformand associating the training plan with the athlete profile.

The updating of the training record preferably includes calculating acumulative training distance for a selected interval of time using thedistance aspect of the workout data from the athlete. The methodpreferably further includes generating a calendar and populating thecalendar with portions of the training plan. The method furtherpreferably includes sending a message to the coach after the trainingrecord has been updated. The method further preferably includes sendinga message to the athlete after the training plan has been uploaded tothe platform and associated with the athlete profile. The method furtherpreferably includes comparing the workout data for a given day with aplanned workout forming part of the training plan and determiningwhether the athlete completed the workout as planned. The method furtherpreferably includes generating a graphical representation comparing theathlete's actual workout to the planned workout. The workout datapreferably includes data identifying a training route. The workout datapreferably includes an aspect identifying a category of workoutactivity.

The present disclosure in another preferred aspect sets forth a systemand method for transferring an athlete's training data from a bikecomputer to an online training log associated with the athlete. Thesystem includes a bike computer mountable on a bike ridden by theathlete, the bike computer being configured to store training dataaccumulated during the course of a training session, the bike computerincluding a wireless transceiver configured for peer-to-peercommunication. The system also includes a mobile communications devicehaving a processor and a wireless communications transceiver, theprocessor being configured to receive the training data from the bikecomputer and format the training data for transfer to the athlete'sonline training log. The system also includes a web-based platformincluding a processor configured to receive the training data from themobile communications device and store the training data in a traininglog server, the training log server having a plurality of athleteprofiles, at least one of which corresponds to the athlete uploading thetraining data.

The wireless communications transceiver of the bike computer may utilizeWi-Fi Direct. The wireless communications transceiver of the bikecomputer may utilize Bluetooth. The mobile communications device may bepaired with the bike computer. The mobile communications device may be asmart phone. The mobile communications device may be a tablet. Theprocessor of the mobile communications device may be programmed todisplay the formatted training data on a display of the mobilecommunications device. The bike computer may be programmed to send adiscovery message to the mobile communications device and automaticallytransfer the training data after a communications link has beenestablished with the mobile communications device. The bike computer maybe configured to establish a peer-to-peer communications link with morethan one mobile communications device. The training data transferred tothe mobile communications device may include GPS-based data.

The present disclosure in an additional preferred aspect sets forth amethod for updating an online training log of a user. The methodincludes establishing a peer-to-peer communications link between amobile training computer and a mobile communications device, the mobiletraining computer being sized and configured to be mounted on the user'sbike; transferring training data stored on the mobile training computerto the mobile communications device using the peer-to-peercommunications link; formatting the training data for transfer from themobile communications device to a web-based platform; and uploading theformatted training data to the web-based platform to update the onlinetraining log of the user.

The mobile training computer may be a bike computer. The peer-to-peercommunications link may be established using Wi-Fi Direct. Thepeer-to-peer communications link may be established using Bluetooth. Thetraining data may be uploaded to the online training log without a USBinterface. The training data may be transferred automatically to themobile communications device once the peer-to-peer communications linkis established.

The present disclosure in further preferred aspect sets forth a systemfor transferring an athlete's training data from a bike computer to anonline training log associated with the athlete. The system includes abike computer mountable on a bike ridden by the athlete, the bikecomputer being configured to store training data accumulated during thecourse of a training session, the bike computer including a wirelesscommunications means for transmitting the training data; a mobilecommunications device having a processor and a wireless communicationstransceiver, the processor being configured to receive the training datafrom the bike computer and format the training data for transfer to theathlete's online training log; and a web-based platform including aprocessor configured to receive the training data from the mobilecommunications device and store the training data in a training logserver, the training log server having a plurality of athlete profiles,at least one of which corresponds to the athlete uploading the trainingdata.

The present disclosure in an additional preferred aspect sets forth abike computer for collecting and transmitting an athlete's training dataaccumulated during a training session. The bike computer includes atleast one sensor for measuring data associated with a parameter of theathlete's training session; a processor configured to collect thetraining data from the at least one sensor; a memory for storing thetraining data collected by the processor; and a wireless communicationsmeans for transmitting the training data to a training log.

The bike computer may include a mount configured to detachably securethe bike computer to a bike. The at least one sensor may include acadence sensor. The at least one sensor may include a heart rate sensor.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram of system components in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a preferred embodiment of a graphical user interface withfields for events for use in generating an activity calendar.

FIG. 2B is a preferred embodiment of a graphical user interface withfields for portions of a training plan for use in generating an activitycalendar.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the activity calendar generated by thegraphical user interfaces of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIG. 4 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical user interface for usein generating a personal training log.

FIG. 5 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical user interface for usein generating a summary portion of the personal training log of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical user interface for usein creating a new route portion of the personal training log of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical user interface for usein generating an equipment tracker portion of the personal training logof FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a preferred embodiment of a graphical user interface for usein generating a coaching dashboard in accordance with another preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is system pictoral diagram showing the interaction between auser, the platform of FIG. 1, and a local workstation of a coach.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a system 100 that includes acomputer web-based platform 102 for preferably providing a user withaccess to an array of information regarding upcoming event information,event results, training plans and workouts, rankings information andmedia pertinent to the user's participation in a given event. Platform102 preferably includes a processor 104, a database server 106 formaintaining an events database 108 that includes a listing of athleticevents, a results database 110 that includes results of athleticcompetitions, a user database 112 that includes records of registeredusers, a media database 114, a training log server 116, a training logdatabase 118, and a rankings generator 120. The preferred components ofplatform 102 and their interaction with each other are described furtherbelow.

Platform 102 is preferably a computer web-based system accessible bycontent providers and users. Content providers are preferablyindividuals or entities that upload or otherwise provide content or datato the platform relating to one or more athletic events or trainingactivities. Content may include, but is not limited to results fromathletic competitions, training plans and workouts supplied by a thirdparty such as a coach, and media content such as photographs or videofrom third party providers. As used herein, a third party is a person orbusiness entity that provides content on a commercial basis. Athleticevents may include, but are not limited to running races, bike races,swim meets, triathlons, duathlons and other competitions pitting anindividual or team against other individuals or teams. Users arepreferably individuals or entities desiring access to the contentprovided by the content providers. Such users may include an individualinterested in an upcoming event, a race result, a training plan orworkout, and/or media pertaining to an event. Users may also includeindividuals such as athletes who supply data to the platform pertainingto their training in order to generate a training log, or coaches whosupply or upload a training plan to the platform for purposes ofcoaching an athlete. In the examples that follow, the platform will bedescribed for use with athletic events and activities relating torunning, swimming, biking, triathlons and duathlons. It will beappreciated that the platform may be modified for other athletic eventsor activities as desired.

Platform 102 preferably includes multiple features accessible by contentsuppliers and users. For example only, platform 102 preferably includesan activity calendar 122, a results page, a training log 124, a rankingsgenerator 120 and a media portal. To facilitate access to these andother features, database server 106 preferably maintains multipledatabases of information. It will be appreciated that information may bestored in a cloud as an alternative to a database, or in addition to adatabase.

Event information for activity calendar 122 is preferably maintained inevent database 108. Database 108 preferably includes data for eachevent. Such data may include, but is not limited to category of event(e.g., running, biking, swimming, triathlon), sub-category of event(e.g., for running, 5K, 10K, half-marathon, etc.), date and time,location, contact information and registration details, which mayinclude a link to a site where a user may register for the event.

Information for the results page is preferably maintained in resultsdatabase 110. Database 110 preferably includes records of results forspecified events. Such records may be organized by event name, eventcategory, event sub-category, date, geographic area, and/or eventorganizer or sub-contractor. Each record preferably contains the resultsof all participants who complete the competition. Such results may beorganized by gender, over-all placing, placing within a predeterminedage group, and/or geographic area (e.g. residence of a participant).

Information relating to user access is preferably maintained in userdatabase 112. Database 112 preferably includes records of registeredusers. Each record preferably includes a record identifier; personaldetails of the user, such as name, address, gender and age; and accesslevel, for example, cost-free access or subscription level access.Database 112 is useful for when a user accesses the platform and desiresto access particular information which may be restricted depending uponthe level of access of the user.

To facilitate access to the platform features, platform 102 preferablyincludes a processor 104 programmed to determine a content supplier oruser's access to the platform. Access to platform 102 is preferablydetermined by whether an individual or entity is a platform operator,content supplier and/or a user. A platform operator has access to theentire platform. On the supply side of the platform, a content suppliermay have access to create a record relating to an athletic event forlisting in the activity calendar. A content supplier may also haveaccess to upload event data such as race results, training plans whichmay include workouts, or media information such as photographs of aparticipant. As used herein, a workout is an activity where the user orathlete physically exerts themselves for the purpose of maintaining orimproving their health or fitness.

On the consumer side of the platform, a user may have several levels ofaccess. For example only, a user may have unrestricted access to somefeatures of platform 102, such as the activity calendar. Other featuresof the platform may be configured for restricted access, which require auser to register with the platform by providing log-in details, forexample, a user name and password. The log-in details are preferablystored in user database 112 and assigned a record identifier. Additionalfeatures of platform 102 may be configured for access only by users whoare subscribers, i.e., pay a fee for access. Examples of restrictedaccess features may include results data and/or media data. Examples ofsubscription-only features may include rankings data. Subscribers may begiven access to all features of platform 102, while registered users maybe given access only to unrestricted features and restricted featuresthat are not subscriber-only features. It will be appreciated that thelevels of access may be varied from feature to feature as desired.

Processor 104 is preferably configured to receive a request for accessby a user and determine whether the access is restricted. If access isrestricted, Processor 104 preferably requests the user to log in, orcreate a login if the user is a new user. Once processor 104 hasdetermined that the user is a registered user (i.e., the user hasprovided or created a correct login), the registered user is grantedaccess to the restricted access features of platform 102. If the featurerequires a subscription-only access, processor 104 will grant access tothe user upon a determination that the user is a subscriber.Additionally, processor 104 may offer the registered user an opportunityto become a subscriber if the registered user attempts to access asubscription-only feature and is not a subscriber.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, platform 102 preferably includes an activitycalendar 122 as one of its features. Processor 104 preferably isprogrammed to use information stored in events database 108 and/ortraining log database 118 to generate a graphical user interface listingathletic events and training activities. The athletic events arepreferably organized by event category, sub-category, date, event title,location and contact information. The training activities are preferablyorganized by activity type (e.g., running, swimming, cycling, weighttraining), workout type (e.g. interval workout, long distance run orride, swim sets), and training venue and/or route.

The activity calendar is preferably personalizable, i.e., a user mayselect desired events and organize the listing to include only theselected events. For example only, as shown in FIG. 2A, the activitycalendar includes a means for selecting desired events, which in thisexample, includes a column of boxes, each box corresponding to a listedevent, which the user may select by clicking on the box. Upon completingthe desired selections, the user may instruct processor 104 to generatea calendar view 123 showing the selected events in a calendar format,such as shown in FIG. 3. The activity calendar may send automatedreminders to registered users of upcoming selected events. Suchreminders may include one or more links to permit the user to access anevent website or register for selected event. Calendar view 123 ispreferably configured to be updated with additional or replacementdesired events. Events listed in the activity calendar and/or shown inthe calendar view may include links to permit the user to access anevent website or register for selected event.

The activity calendar preferably includes activities from a trainingplan uploaded to platform 102. For example, referring to FIG. 2B, datafrom selected fields in training plan record 125 is used to populate theactivity calendar. Processor 104 may then generate calendar view 123showing one or more workouts from training plan record 125.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, platform 102 preferably includes a traininglog 124 as one of its features. Training log 124 is preferablymaintained by training log server 116 and includes a plurality oftraining records preferably stored at training log database 118.Processor 104 preferably is programmed to generate a graphical userinterface having a plurality of fields and functions. The functionspreferably include a “Summary” function 126 for summarizing trainingand/or racing data, a “Records” function for tracking a user's bestperformance data and an “Equipment Tracker” 130 for tracking the wear ofvarious equipment used by the user. Each of these functions is describedin greater detail below.

In order to optimize use of one or more of the functions, a user mustenter data into the platform. As shown in FIG. 4, fields may be providedfor date and activity in the training record. The date field may beautomatically updated with the current date using the user's computer ormobile device. The activity field may be filled in or selected by theuser from a predefined listing of activities, for example, running,swimming, biking, weight training, other, or racing. Each activity maybe listed by its full name, or may be abbreviated to a single code(e.g., “R” for running, “B” for biking, etc.). A user may select from amenu the activity name or code for entry into the activity field. Oncethe user enters or selects the activity name or code, processor 104generates additional fields for the user to fill in. The additionalfields are preferably optimized for the particular activity selected.For example only, if running is the selected activity, the fieldsgenerated preferably include “Route,” “Distance,” “Time” and “Notes” asshown in FIG. 4.

The “Route” field may be an open field in which the user may enter adescription of the training route, or may be configured to receive aroute name or code corresponding to a route which the user previouslydescribed and stored, for example, using a “create new route” feature128 described in greater detail below. For example, a user may describeand store a training route corresponding to the user's run along theocean, and associate the route with a route name or code “OR.” When theuser subsequently enters information into the route field, the user maysimply enter or select “OR” and the route information will be associatedwith the particular training log record being created. The “Distance”field preferably relates to the total distance the user travelled duringthe training activity. The “Distance” field may be automatically filledupon selection or entry of the route title or code, or modifiedindependently of the route field. The “Time” field corresponds to theuser's total training time for that activity. The “Notes” field is anopen field which the user may enter notes regarding the trainingactivity. Other fields may be added, for example, a heart rate field, adifficulty rating field, and/or a weather field.

For a swimming activity, processor 104 may generate fields relating tolocation, distance, time, notes and whether a wetsuit was used. For abiking activity, processor 104 may generate fields relating to route,distance, time, maximum speed, average speed, power and heart rate. Aswith the running activity, the “Route” field may be automatically filledupon entry or selection of the route name or code, or modifiedindependently of the route field.

For the racing activity, processor 104 is preferably configured togenerate fields relating to event category (e.g., running, biking,swimming, triathlon, duathlon, etc.), event sub-category and/ordistance, splits, finish time, placing (over-all and age group) andnotes. It will be appreciated that the number and type of activities maybe varied as desired. Further, the number and type of fields may bemodified as desired.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the graphical user interface for traininglog 124 preferably includes a “Summary” function 126. Summary function126 preferably automatically tracks and updates the user's data. Inorder to facilitate tracking of the user's data, the data stored foreach field in database 118 is associated with a code, which processor104 uses to maintain a running tally depending upon the type of code.Preferably summary function 126 is organized into racing activities andtraining activities.

Using running and biking as examples of training activities, processor104 preferably updates a running tally for distance and time with eachinstance a new running or biking record is added to the user's traininglog. The running tally may be configured for one or more predeterminedtime periods. For example only, a running tally may be configured forweekly, monthly, annual, week-to-date, month-to-date and/or year-to-datefor distance and/or time per an activity.

For example only, if a user desires to learn what their year-to-datedistance is for biking, the user may select the “Summary” function andselect a “Training Activities” function. The “Training Activities”function preferably generates an activity field. Selecting the activityname or entering the activity code into the field preferably generates asummary specific to the activity. For example, with running and bikingactivities, a training information field and a time period field will begenerated. The user may then have the option of selecting one or moretypes of training information (e.g., distance and training time) for aselected time period (e.g., weekly, monthly, year-to-date, etc.). Uponmaking the selections, processor 104 generates a summary using theselection criteria entered by the user. The summary is preferably in alist form and preferably includes a graphical representation of thesummary such as shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 4, the training log preferably is configured with a“Records” function. The “Records” function preferably tracks a user'sbest performance data for a particular category of activity, forexample, training and/or racing. For a training activity, the “Records”function, through processor 104 and training log database 118, storesthe user's best performance record for a given activity. For example,for a training run where a user runs the “OC” route multiple times, eachtime the “OC” route is run by the user, the training time is entered bythe user and processor 104 compares the newly entered time with priortimes associated with the “OC” route. If a newly entered time for the“OC” route is less than any of the times currently of record for the“OC” route, the best time for the “OC” route is updated with the newbest time and the date that the best time occurred.

If a user wishes to see what their best time is for a particular route,they may choose the running activity on a pull-down menu labelled“route.” The pull-down menu will preferably be populated with the routescreated from a “create new route” option 128, described in furtherdetail below. When the user chooses a route from the pull-down menu, therecords function will display the best time for that route and the daterecorded for that time.

Similar best performance records may be maintained for times for otheractivities such as biking and swimming. Best performance records may becustomized and maintained depending upon the training activity. Forexample, for running, biking and swimming, separate best performancerecords are preferably maintained for fastest time and longest distance.For biking in particular, best performance records are preferablyadditionally maintained for best average speed and best maximum speed.For swimming, best times may be recorded for set training distances.

If the category of activity relates to racing, the “Records” function ispreferably configured to compare and update a user's best performancefor a given race activity (e.g., running, biking, swimming, triathlon,etc.), sub-category and/or distance, splits, finish time, placing(over-all and age group) using methodology similar to that describedabove in relation to the training activity best records, but modifiedfor the race environment. Examples of sub-categories of races forrunning include 5K, 10K, half-marathon, marathon, trailing running andtrack. Examples of races for cycling include road, track, cyclo-cross,mountain and BMX. Examples of sub-categories for races for swimminginclude open water and pool. Examples of sub-categories of races formulti-sport include triathlon (sprint, international, half-irondistance, iron distance), duathlon (sprint, international,long-distance), aquathon, aquabike, and off-road.

A running tally on placings is preferably maintained. Placings may bemaintained for over-all placing in a competition, placing within an agegroup (typically 5-year increments commencing from age 20), a “bestplacing percentage,” and career wins. The “Records” function ispreferably configured to determine the “best” placings of the userwithin a given race. For example, if a user places 150^(th) over-all outof a running race of 1,500 participants, the placing is preferablyrecorded as being in the top 10%. A subsequent placing of 100^(th) outof 2,000 participants is preferably recorded as being in the top 5% anddesignated as the new best race placing. Similar place-tracking may bemaintained within age groups. For career wins, the records function maytrack the number of first place wins over the span of their athleticcareer. The records function may also track age-group wins (i.e., thenumber of times the user wins their age-group).

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, platform 102 is preferably configured sothat the user may create and record a route which may be used to laterassociate training data. Accessing link 128 will generate fields for theuser to enter information pertaining to the route. A pull-down menu ofactivities such as running, cycling and swimming may permit the user toselect an activity. Preferably, there will be two fields where the userenters information: a first field for entry of a route title or code,and a second one for entry of a route description. Once a route has beencreated and saved under the user-defined title or code, it willpreferably be in a list of routes which will appear in the pull-downmenu for the training log entries when entering training information.Referring to FIGS. 4 and 7, the training log is preferably configuredwith an “Equipment Tracker” function 130. Equipment tracker function 130tracks usage of various equipment used by the user during trainingand/or racing activities. For example, for running, the equipmenttracker function 130 is preferably configured to track usage of runningshoes and/or orthotics. For shoes, fields for brand, date of first use,notes, and warning distance may be filled by the user. This feature willtrack distance according to the distance logged when the user enters adistance for their run based on the dated entered in the date of firstuse field. The warning distance feature will cause a warning message toappear next time the user logs into their training log. The warningmessage will appear when the tally for the distance matches the warningdistance value entered by the user. If desired, the warning message maybe electronically communicated over a network to the user, for example,by e-mail or texting. For orthotics, fields will preferably be availablefor date of first use, notes and warning distance.

For biking, the equipment tracker function 130 is preferably configuredto track usage of one or more of a bike, a chain, a pair of tires,distance travelled since the last tune-up of the bike, cassette andodometer batteries. For the bike, fields will preferably be availablefor brand, date of first use, and notes. This feature will trackdistance according to the distance logged when the user enters adistance for their cycling based on the date entered in the date offirst use field. For the chain, fields will preferably be available fordate of first use, notes and warning distance. For tires, fields willpreferably be available for date of first use, notes, warning distance.The tires category may be sub-divided into racing and training. Fordistance since last tune-up, fields will preferably be available fordate of tune-up, notes and warning distance. This feature will trackdistance according to the distance logged when the user enters adistance for their cycling based on the date entered in the date oftune-up field. For the cassette, fields will preferably be available fordate of first use and notes. For odometer batteries, fields willpreferably be available for date of first use and notes.

For swimming, equipment tracker function 130 is preferably configured totrack usage of a pair of swimming goggles, wetsuit and swimsuit. Usagemay be based on distance, time or a combination thereof. For goggles,fields will preferably be available for brand, date of first use andnotes. This feature will track distance according to the distance loggedwhen the user enters a distance for their swimming based on the dateentered in the date of first use field. For wetsuit, dates willpreferably be available for brand, date of first use and notes. Thisfeature will track distance according to the distance logged when theuser enters a distance for their swimming based on the date entered inthe date of first use field and the user checks the box for “wetsuitused” option appearing on either the swim training or swim racing (openwater) screen. For swimsuit, fields will preferably be available forbrand, date of first use and notes.

It will be appreciated that programmed functions of the training log maybe varied as desired. One or more of the functions described above maybe omitted, or additional functions may be programmed into the traininglog. Moreover, though described in relation to running, swimming, bikingand triathlons, it will be appreciated that the training log may beadapted for other activities, such as a training gateway describedbelow.

In another preferred aspect of the present invention, platform 102 ispreferably configured to function as a training gateway or nexus betweenan athlete and a coach. In order to maintain or improve fitness andathletic performance, athletes often associate themselves with a coach.Sometimes the coach is located at a remote location that renders itimpractical for the athlete to attend a coaching session in person.Nonetheless, the athlete may obtain the benefit of a workout programgenerated by the coach by utilizing platform 102 as a training gateway.

To facilitate implementation of a training plan between a coach and anathlete, platform 102 may be configured to maintain an athlete profilethat combines portions of the user information stored at user database112 and training records populated by use of training log 124.

Referring to FIG. 1, trailing log server 116 is preferably configured tomaintain a plurality of athlete profiles. Each athlete profilepreferably includes personal information such as that stored in userdatabase 112 (described above), and a training record having a pluralityof fields that each correspond to an aspect of a workout in which theathlete participated. The training records are preferably stored intraining log database 118 and preferably populated such as describedabove with respect to training log 124. The athlete profile ispreferably configured to receive a training plan uploaded by a thirdparty such as a coach. The athlete associated with the athlete profilehas preferably preselected the coach and/or training plan, and eitheruploaded the training plan themselves, or granted access to the coach toupload the training plan to their athlete profile. To complete theprocess of associating the training plan with the athlete profile, datafrom the training plan is preferably tagged for inclusion in fieldsreserved for training plan data. Thereafter, the athlete may view theuploaded training plan in their athlete profile. Processor 104 ispreferably configured to send a notice to the athlete once the trainingplan has been uploaded and associated with the athlete profile. Thenotice may take many forms, for example, an e-mail, text message, orother forms of electronic messaging and/or print notification.

The training plan preferably includes at least one workout. Morepreferably, the training plan includes a plurality of workoutsconfigured to be completed over a predetermined interval of time. Forexample, a coach may have a training plan that includes one to threeworkouts over a predetermined number of days, months or seasons. It willbe appreciated that only a single workout may be uploaded at a time ifdesired. For example, a coach may wish to upload a single workout per aday to the athlete profile.

Preferably, the athlete receives notification that a new training planor workout has been associated with their athlete profile. The athletelogs onto the platform, views their athlete profile, and takes note ofthe training plan or workout uploaded to the athlete profile by theircoach. The athlete may then perform a scheduled workout, and after theworkout, enter aspects of the completed workout into training log 124 toupdate the training record.

Examples of fields used in the training record are illustrated in FIG. 4and may include a field corresponding to a distance aspect and/or a timeaspect of the workout. The distance aspect may include the distancecovered by the athlete during a training run or ride, or swum by anathlete in a body of water. The time aspect may include the interval oftime to cover the distance trained. It will be appreciated that thedistance and/or time may be sub-divided without departing from the scopeof the present invention. For example, during a track workout, anathlete may record a plurality of timed distances. It will beappreciated that the training record may be configured with many fieldsincluding, but not limited to activity type (e.g., running, swimming,cycling, weight training), route, venue (e.g., city, park or pool),heart rate, and/or weather conditions.

After the athlete updates the training record via training log 124,processor 104 preferably notifies the coach that the athlete hascompleted a workout. The notification may take any of the formsdescribed above in relation to the notification provided to the athleteof the presence of the training plan or workout.

The coach, after viewing the training record of the athlete, may alteran existing training plan on the athlete profile, or replace theexisting training plan with a new training plan. It will be appreciatedthat if only a single workout is associated with the athlete profile,processor 104 may be configured to automatically delete the plannedworkout from the athlete profile once the athlete enters data indicatingthat the planned workout was completed. Likewise, at the end of aplanned training cycle, the training plan may be automatically deletedfrom the athlete profile once all workouts have been completed.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, on the provider side of the traininggateway, a provider such as a coach preferably accesses one or moreathlete profiles 132 through a user interface generated by processor 104as a coaching dashboard 134. The coaching dashboard preferably includesa link to each athlete profile which the coach is authorized to access.Coaching dashboard 134 preferably includes a link to a training plandatabase 136, which is preferably maintained by platform 102 as shown inFIG. 9. Training plan database 136 preferably is configured to store oneor more training plans or workouts. It will be appreciated that thetraining plan database may be locally maintained at a workstation 138 ofthe coach.

Referring to FIG. 8, the coach, preferably taking into account thedemographics and goals of the athlete, preferably designs or selects atraining plan or workout for the athlete, and through the dashboard,uploads the training plan or workout to the selected athlete profile.After being notified that the athlete has completed the training cycleassociated with the training plan, or one or more workouts, the coachmay modify an existing plan on the athlete profile, or completelyreplace an existing training plan or workout in the athlete profile witha new training plan or workout. The coach may associate a training planor workout for a single athlete, a plurality of individual athletes,and/or a group of athletes simultaneously. For example, in FIG. 8, thetraining group Pacific Coast Group is selected via a pull down menu, anda time frame for the month of May is selected with a training plan(training plan 1A) for athletes 1, 2 and 3, who are members of thePacific Coast Group. Athletes 1, 2 and 3 may be co-located in the samegeographic vicinity, or widely dispersed around the country.

As shown in FIG. 1, platform 102 preferably includes a rankingsgenerator 120. Details of a preferred rankings generator are found inU.S. application Ser. No. 13/484,213, filed May 30, 2012, entitled“System and Method for Providing an Athlete with a Performance Profile,”the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, platform 102 may be configured to permit mediacontent providers to upload to media database 114 media specific to aregistered user, which the registered user may access once logged-in.Details of a preferred medial portal are found in U.S. application Ser.No. 13/484,213.

Platform 102 is preferably programmed to automatically notify aregistered user, more preferably, a subscriber, upon the uploading ofresults into results database 110. Platform 102 is further preferablyconfigured to automatically notify a registered user upon theavailability of media specific to the registered user. The media maybecome available upon uploading the media to the media database, or by amedia content provider leaving an indication in the registered user'saccount that the media is available for access through a link to themedia provider's website.

The foregoing description is by way of example only, and may be variedconsiderably without departing from the scope of the present invention.For example only, the platform may be optimized for use with hand-heldmobile devices. For example, a registered user may access their owntraining log while at the gym or immediately after a workout and updatetheir training log remotely. Additionally, the training log may beupdated automatically with a GPS device in sync with training logfeature 124. For example, a cyclist or runner may wear a GPS-enableddevice which is Internet ready so that as the user is training, trainingdata is being communicated “live” to the user's personal training log onthe platform. Upon finishing the training activity, the user may accessa summary of the training activity. It will be appreciated that thedevice may communicate with the platform only after the trainingactivity is complete to do a data dump in order to reduce Internetusage.

The training gateway may be varied without departing from the scope ofthe present invention. For example only, referring to FIG. 9, an athletemay wear a tracking device 140, such as a GPS enabled tracking device,that provides live updates to platform 102. Coaching dashboard 134 maybe configured to provide the coach with live training information as theathlete is performing the workout. It will be appreciated that the livedata feed provided by the tracking device may be used to monitor anathlete's performance during a competition and provide the coach withlive data on the progress of the athlete during the competition. Anexample of a system for providing a live feed to a training log isdescribed in U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/705,232, filed Sep. 25,2012, entitled “Interface and Method for Updating an Athlete TrainingLog,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein.

In another preferred aspect, a system and method for transferring anathlete's training data from a bike computer to an online training logassociated with the athlete is set forth. The system includes a mobiletraining computer, a mobile communications device, and a computerweb-based platform. The preferred components of the system and theirinteraction with each other are described further below.

The mobile training computer preferably includes a processor, a memoryand a transceiver. Structurally, the mobile training computer ispreferably sized and configured to be mounted on a user's bike. Morepreferably, the mobile training computer is adapted to be worn on thewrist of the user, and configured to be detached from the user andattached to the bike. The mobile training computer preferably includesGlobal Positioning System (GPS) hardware configured to permit theprocessor to track the position of the user throughout the duration of atraining session, whether in the water or on land.

The transceiver is preferably a peer-to-peer wireless communicationsradio. Preferably, the transceiver is configured to utilize Wi-Fi Directto establish a peer-to-peer communications link with the mobilecommunications device. It will be appreciated that the transceiver maybe configured to utilize other peer-to-peer communications protocolswithout departing from the scope of the present invention. For exampleonly, the transceiver may be configured to utilize Bluetooth and/or nearfield communications. The specific details of the Wi-Fi Direct,Bluetooth and near field communications protocols would be appreciatedby those of ordinary skill in the art and therefore are not repeatedhere.

The mobile communications device is preferably a personal device such asa smart phone or tablet. Preferably, the mobile communications device iscapable of establishing a wireless communications link using acommunications network such as a satellite or cellular network. It willbe appreciated that the mobile communications device may be configuredto transfer data without utilizing a cellular network, for example only,by utilizing a local Wi-Fi network.

The platform is preferably a computer web-based system accessible by theuser through the Internet. The platform includes a processor and atraining log server configured to store a plurality of user profiles. Itwill be appreciated that although data is shown stored at a remotelocation on the platform, data may also be stored in a cloud, or at oneor more locations physically remote from the processor.

In another preferred aspect, an exemplary method for transferring datafrom the mobile training computer and updating the user's onlinetraining log stored at training the log server is set forth. Apeer-to-peer communications link is established between the mobiletraining computer and the mobile communications device. Preferably, thecommunications link is established utilizing a peer-to-peer transceiverlocated in the mobile training computer. More preferably, thecommunications link is established using Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth or nearfield communications. Next, the training data stored on the mobiletraining computer is transferred to the mobile communications deviceusing the peer-to-peer communications link. The training data is thenformatted for transfer from the mobile communications device to theweb-based platform. Thereafter, the formatted training data is uploadedto the web-based platform to update the online training log of the user.

It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be performedin a different order, varied, or certain steps omitted entirely withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. For example only, thedata transferred from the mobile training computer may be transferredonto the online training log without any special formatting. If desired,training data may be transferred using an ordinary Wi-Fi connectionbetween the mobile training computer and the platform. For example, themobile training computer may be detached from the wrist of the user orthe mount on the bike, and brought within a Wi-Fi hotspot. Thereafter,the training information may be uploaded into the user's online traininglog.

The mobile training computer may be fitted with a non-peer-to-peerwireless communications link capable of accessing the Internet. Forexample, the mobile training computer may be fitted with a conventionalWi-Fi radio instead of, or in addition to a peer-to-peer configuredradio transceiver. The mobile communications device may be fitted with apeer-to-peer configured radio transceiver. A peer-to-peer link may beestablished using either the mobile communications device or the mobiletraining computer.

The mobile training computer may be worn on the user, for example, witha body strap at the wrist or about the user's chest. In the latterexample, the mobile training computer may be configured to transmitinformation for display on a bike computer on the user's bike. As mostof the circuitry is being worn by the user, the size of the bikecomputer may be greatly reduced, essentially to a display with a minimumof circuitry necessary to receive a data stream from the wearable mobiletraining computer. The mobile training computer may be configured to beworn on other areas of the body, such as the ankle or around the head.

The “Summary” function may be modified to provide visual representationsof training history in terms of pie charts and other visual aids.Additional fields may be added for weight, heart rate, difficulty ratingand weather if desired. Annual reports may be generated and printed foreach registered user as desired.

The “Equipment Tracker” function may be modified to allow a user toenter their own equipment for tracking. Additionally, a “notes” fieldmay be provided to permit the user to describe the brand of equipment,or other information as desired by the user. The warning distancefeature may be configured to send a notification to the user via anelectronic communication such as e-mail or texting.

If desired, the warning described above may appear on the display of themobile training computer. The warning may be transferred to the mobiletraining computer through the communications link established betweenthe mobile communications device and the platform and/or between thecommunications device and the mobile training computer. Variousparameters may be tracked by the mobile training computer and thewarning distance stored locally by the mobile training computer anddisplayed on its display.

The personalized calendar feature may be configured to determine if aregistered user is within a predetermined distance from a competition,and provide the user with information regarding hotels and restaurantswithin a predetermined radius of the site of the competition. Forexample, if a registered user lives 75 miles away from a competition forwhich the user entered, the platform may send or e-mail the userinformation on all hotels within a 5 mile radius of the site of thecompetition. Moreover, the platform may be configured to determinevacancy information for the hotels and provide the user with hotelinformation for hotels still having vacancy. The platform may beconfigured to notify a registered user of the forecasted weather at thesite of the competition a set number of days before the competition, forexample, one, two and/or three days before the competition date. Theweather forecast may include hourly forecasts if desired.

The platform may be configured for use with activities other thanrunning, cycling, swimming or multisport. For example only, the platformmay be configured for use with weight training, kayaking, crew, hiking,mountain climbing, golf, tennis, martial arts, and other sports.

Information normally stored at a physical location may be stored in acloud, considerably reducing the hardware needed for memory requirementsoften associated with large volumes of data.

The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied toother embodiments, or combined with or interchanged with the features ofother embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope ofthe present invention.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing a coach with live trainingdata of an athlete as the athlete is performing a swimming workout, themethod comprising: creating an athlete profile on a training log serverof a computer web-based platform, the training log server beingconfigured to maintain a plurality of athlete profiles, the athleteprofile including a training record having a plurality predefinedfields, at least one of the fields corresponding to a distance aspect ofan athlete's workout, at least another of the fields corresponding to atime aspect of the athlete's workout; updating, at the platform, atraining record in the athlete profile with workout data from a mobiletracking device worn by the athlete around the athlete's chest as theathlete is performing the swimming workout, the workout data including adistance aspect and a time aspect; and permitting the coach to log ontothe platform and view the training record of the athlete profile as theathlete is performing the swimming workout.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising receiving, at the platform, at least one workoutcreated by the selected coach and associating the workout with theathlete profile.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising comparingthe workout data for a given day with a planned workout forming part ofa training plan and determining whether the athlete completed theworkout as planned.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprisinggenerating a graphical representation comparing the athlete's actualworkout to the planned workout.
 5. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising automatically deleting the workout after receiving anindication that the workout was completed by the athlete.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the updating of the training record includescalculating a cumulative training distance for a selected interval oftime using the distance aspect of the workout data from the athlete. 7.The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a calendar andpopulating the calendar with portions of a training plan.
 8. The methodof claim 1, where the tracking device is a GPS-enabled tracking device.9. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the athlete'sperformance during a competition and providing the coach with live dataon the progress of the athlete during the competition.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving from the athlete a selection of acoach who is to be granted access to the athlete's profile.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising presenting the athlete an optionto grant access to the athlete profile to the coach selected by theathlete; and receiving, at the platform, the grant of access by theathlete for the selected coach to the athlete profile.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the mobile tracking device includes a first wirelesscommunications radio configured for peer-to-peer communications, and asecond wireless communications radio configured for non-peer-to-peercommunications.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first wirelesscommunications radio is configured for peer-to-peer communications witha smart phone.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second wirelesscommunications radio is configured to access the internet through aWi-Fi connection to facilitate syncing of the mobile tracking devicewith an online training log.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein themobile tracking device includes GPS circuitry configured to enable liveupdating of an online training log as the athlete is training.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising permitting the athlete toselectively restrict access by the coach to portions of the trainingrecord.